Wire-tightener



M. EGKLEY. WIRE TIGHTENER.

No. 465,169. Patnted 1160.15, 1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFIcE.

MATTHEW ECKLEY, OF PETTISVILLE, OHIO.

WIIRE-TIGHTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 465,169, dated December 15, 1891.

Application filed January 17, 1891. Serial No. 378,120. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MATTHEW EOKLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pettisville, in the county of Fulton and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Wireproved means.

Tightener, of which the following is a specification.

This-invention relates to fences and to the manner of tightening the wires thereof; and the object of the same is to eifect certain improvements in devices of this character.

To this end the invention consists of the details of construction hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and as illustrated inv the sheet of drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of a section of wire fence about to be tightened by my ini- Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the fence after it has been tightened. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of one of the tightening-plates. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the tightening-screws and the step for its ti i Referrin g to the said drawings, the letters F designate fence-posts seated in the ground. It will be understood that these posts are the end posts of a fence-section and are a considerable distance apart, although, of course, they are not so shown in the drawings. Through all the posts are strung the fence-wires WV, which may be plain or barbed, as desired, and these wires are extended through the fenceposts F and through holes in plates P, thelatter being located outside the posts and resting at their lower ends upon the ground.

The letters S designate screws, having handles H at'their outer ends, and these screws pass loosely through holes in plates P and through nuts N, which bear against the inner faces of the platesthat is, those adjacent the posts-and rest at their inner ends in cup-shaped steps 0, formed in small plates which bear against the outer faces of the posts between two of the wires. The wires may be stretched from both ends, as seen in Fig. 2, or from one end only. In the latter case one end of the wires being secured to one of the posts F, as shown in Fig. 1, the screws S are put through the holes in the plate P through nuts N and seated against steps 0, which bear against the outer face of the other post. The screws are then turned to force the plate outwardly, and hence to tighten the ployed outside of each end post, as shown in Fig. 2. In such cases screws maybe inserted through each plate and the Wires tightened in both directions, blocks being inserted between the plates and the posts at both ends of the fence-section. After the tightening has been done and the blocks put in place the screws are removed from the plates and from the nuts and may be carried to the next point where the tightening is to be done. It will thus be seen that the screws can be used at any point and Without the necessity of posts or bars of any particular construction. All the bearingpoints of the screws are in metal, and all that is necessary is to provide the plates with holes, as illustrated.

WVhat is claimed as new is In a fence, the combination, with the posts, plates outside the same provided with smooth holes, blocks between said posts and plates, and Wires strung through all the posts-and attached to the plates, of the removable wiretightening device herein described, the same consisting of steps and nuts placed, respectively, against the outer faces of the posts and the inner faces of the plates, and screws passing loosely through said smooth holes, engaging the threads in said nuts, and bearing in said steps, all as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MATTHEW EOKLEY.

\Vitnesses:

FRANK S. HAM, THOS. J. HAM. 

